Story ID: 
NTSB Reviewing Advocacy Programs
By: Mark Phelps
Caption: The National Transportation Safety Board announced early last month it has embarked on a 30-day review of its advocacy programs.
Word Count: 162
The National Transportation Safety Board announced early last month it has embarked on a 30-day review of its advocacy programs. New chairman Ellen Engleman, who took over for now-FAA Administrator Marion Blakey, said, “It is critical that we find innovative and effective ways to communicate and ultimately deliver safety to the American people.” An NTSB spokesman said the review constitutes an overall look at the Board’s ability to implement changes related to safety issues, rather than focusing on the agency’s investigative arm. The spokesman said, “Three of the five members of the Safety Board are new, including the chairman. It’s a fresh team.” One program to be reviewed is the so-called “most wanted” list of safety improvements instituted in 1990 and updated yearly. “After 13 years, the board now wants to review the most-wanted program to evaluate how effective it has been,” said the spokesman, who also noted that a spike in highway fatalities was an important reason for the review.